William Lane Craig on Divine hiddenness
Craig argues that God may have morally sufficient reasons for remaining hidden and that divine hiddenness does not disprove God.
Craig responds to the argument from divine hiddenness by challenging its key premise: that a loving God would ensure that everyone who is capable of a relationship with him believes in his existence. Craig argues that God may have morally sufficient reasons for permitting nonbelief — reasons we may not be able to fully comprehend.
He suggests several possible reasons: forced or overwhelming evidence of God's existence might coerce belief rather than enabling free, loving response. God's aim is not merely belief but a free relationship entered into willingly. A world in which God's existence is as obvious as the sun in the sky might produce compliance rather than genuine love.
Craig also questions whether truly nonresistant nonbelief exists — whether there are really people who sincerely seek God with an open heart and fail to find him. He points to biblical passages suggesting that God reveals himself to those who genuinely seek, implying that persistent nonbelief may involve some element of resistance or willful blindness.
“God's purpose is not to produce belief in his existence but to bring people into a knowledge of himself — a personal, transformative relationship. That requires more than intellectual assent.”